‘Buried alive’ Christian to speak in schools this week

John Edwards wa 'buried alive' at Willowfield Church while live streaming the event on the internet.

Published:21:56Sunday 05 March 2017

A former drug and alcohol addict who is now a born-again Christian has begun preaching again after having been buried alive in an unusual bid to offer hope to those struggling with addiction and suicidal thoughts.

John Edwards, from Dublin, who has been sober for 26 years, was buried in front of a crowd at Willowfield church in east Belfast on Wednesday before being brought back to the surface on Friday.

While buried, in a box large enough to allow him to sit up with air pipes to prevent suffocation, he spoke to the families of people lost to suicide and people struggling with addiction problems via the internet.

Rector of Willowfield, David McClay, said it was a very successful project offering hope to many.

“He will be preaching today (Sunday) and will be speaking about his experience with schools this week,” he told the News Letter.

While he was ‘interred’, a live video of his experience was broadcast around the world via the internet.